Builders are confronted with significant challenges in offering high-quality construction at competitive prices. Fluctuations in lumber costs often work against builders in making profits for their efforts. In response to marketplace uncertainties, then, steel frame construction is emerging as a preferred way to construct buildings.
More architects are now specifying steel framing for commercial and residential structures than in the past. They are attracted to the strength, termite resistance, and dimensional stability of metal. The varieties of steel dimensions and thicknesses has also grown beyond that of standard lumber, thus architects can now exhibit greater creativity in the design of buildings. Buildings with larger open spaces, longer floor spans and higher walls are the result of this combined creative effort.
Buildings constructed with steel frames have proven to be more durable than those framed with wood. In areas vulnerable to hurricanes or earthquakes, they are better able to withstand induced loads. Further, as steel is non-combustible, buildings constructed from steel readily comply with local codes and fire regulations. Because it is termite-proof, pesticide treatments are also unnecessary. Thus, health experts recommend steel framing for chemically sensitive homebuyers seeking the best possible interior air quality.
Metallic building members can be difficult to use. They are typically large and heavy, making them difficult to transport. Furthermore, because of the significantly greater density of metal relative to wood, nails cannot be employed in connecting members together and costly techniques such as welding and riveting must be employed. A need, therefore, exists for a metallic building member that can be made in small, easy-to-transport portions and quickly connected at a construction site for inclusion in a building structure as a beam, joist or rafter or, perhaps, used as a temporary form for poured concrete.